Olens: ‘Encouraged’ following Supreme Court arguments

ATLANTA — After three days of oral arguments before the Supreme Court over whether the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act — known as Obamacare by opponents — is constitutional, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens said he is “encouraged.”

Georgia is one of more than two dozen states challenging the law that Congress passed and President Obama signed into law in March 2010. The Supreme Court will hear six hours of oral arguments between Monday and Wednesday of next week; a ruling is expected by June.

Olens did not argue before the Supreme Court, but he attended Monday’s arguments.

“The outcome of this case will drastically impact the course of this Nation for decades to come, and the repercussions will be broader than just healthcare,” Olens said in a news release. “If this law is not invalidated, there will be no constraints on the power of the federal government to infringe upon our individual liberty. I am encouraged by the past three days of arguments and look forward to the Court’s decision at the end of June.”

The National Federation of Independent Business and four individual plaintiffs joined the states in the lawsuit. Paul Clement, a former U.S. Solicitor General, argued the case on behalf of the states.